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university of Dublin. The increase of catholics at the university of Dub. lin had been progressive, and at this moment their number was twice as great as it had ever been before. But it was not in the university of Dublin only, that the number of catholic students had increased. Great numbers of the higher orders of that body' were to be found in the universities of England, and those of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The enlargement of the university of Dublin would be to no purpose, Persons whose intention it was to instruct their flocks in certain articles of faith, and in the observance of certain religious ceremonies, would never be induced or forced to embrace a system ofeducation foreign from those intentions. The Roman. catholics being in a great degree cut off from foreign education; to restrict them to the university of Dublin, would be to restrict them to a state of ignorance. As to what had fallen from Mr. P. about the college of Maynooth being independent of all visitorial inspection and power, the learned gentleman would find it distinctly specified by the statute, that the lord chancellor and judges of the country shall be visitors of the morals and conduct of the seminary, as connected with civil policy; wisely ab. staining from all interference either in their religious doctrine or discipline. Mr. Banks objected to the additional grant now moved for, as it would double the number of students for the catholic priesthood in Ireland, and consequently make the £.5000. annnal. A regular supply for the catholic priesthood, like many other objects, might be accomplished by private contributions.

Mr. Grattan was surprised to hear from Mr. Perceval, that if the Roman-catholics of Ireland were to

be educated in the principles of their religion, it was little matter whether they received that education in Ireland or in France. The jealousy hitherto entertained of catholicism, was founded, not on the mere doctrine, but on its foreign connections, its foreign relations, its foreign views. But, now, the objection was changed. No danger was apprehended of those foreign relations and foreign views. The Roman-catholic might go abroad. But, if kept at home, if educated in the bosom of his country, he would be dangerous. Was this the doctrine? If so, in order to be refuted, it needed only to be repeated. And, if it was not, if foreign connections and views were dangerous, why promote those views, and strengthen those connections, by exiling the Roman-catholic for the purpose of educating him,-not at the expence and under the protection of his majesty's government, but as a pensioner on the bounty of the emperor of France?

Lord Mahon observed, that the influence of the catholic priests in Ireland had been too strongly ex. emplified by the events of the rebellion. He therefore considered it as an inestimable benefit, to have the care of their education committed to the government of the country.

Mr. Wilberforce confessed that he was not one of those men who entertained the enlarged and liberal views on religious subjects, insisted on with so much energy by Mr. Grattan. He was not so much like a certain ruler (Buonaparte), of whom it had been very happily said, that he was an honorary member of all religions. He could not help say. ing, that in his opinion, the institution at Maynooth would cramp the growth of protestantism in Ireland. G 4

It

It would be cruel and criminal to oppress or restrain the catholic reli. gior. But it was no oppression not to favour it to the detriment of the protestant establishment.

Lord Howick observed, that as the principle of the institution had been acquiesced in ever since 1795, it was strange that the present grant should be resisted. For, as the house had acknowledged the principle, it followed that they could not refuse such additional grants as times and circumstances might render ne. cessary. This was an argument in favour of the grant, from their own concession. But, in support of the argument, he could instance a fact, which, he was confident, would es. tablish the necessity of encouraging home education for the catholic priesthood of the land. He was sorry he had not the document about him, but the fact was, that doctor Walsh, a priest of talents, who was appointed head of the college established in Paris for the education of catholic priests, had used all means in his power to induce such of the Irish catholics as went

for their education in Lisbon, to ge to his college. He had offered them not only education, but every temp tation that he thought likely to with draw them from their king and country. On a representation of the matter to the catholic bishops in Ire land, they treated it as it deserved, and denounced exclusion from the faith against any who might be weak enough to fall into the snare laid for their allegiance. This threat had the desired effect. But we should not in future leave any description of his majesty's subjects exposed to the temptations of the enemy. Lord Howick expressed, in the strongest terms, an intention of making up, as far as lay in his power, for the time which had been mispent with respect to Ireland. And with respect to the grant to the catholic college of Maynooth, if circumstances made it necessary to have the grant made lon. ger, he should most cordially support it. Of course he gave his full assent to the resolution now proposed. This resolution and the others were then severally moved and carried.

CHAP

CHAP. VI.

Finances of the Country.—Supplies.-Ways and Means.-Plan of Finance, with its Object, proposed by Lord Henry Petty.- Eleven Resolutions relating to his Plan laid on the Table for the consider. ation of the House of Commons.-Objections to the Plan by Mr. Johnstone, and by Lord Castlereagh.-Resolutions relating to a Plan of Finance, submitted to the House by Lord Castlereagh, in place of that of Lord H. P.-Objections to Lord H. P.'s Plan by Mr. Long. -Lord H. P.'s Plan defended by Mr. Tierney, and by Lord H. P. himself.-Farther Reasoning against Lord H. P.'s Plan by Lord Castlereagh.-Fundamental Error in Lord C.'s Plan of Finance pointed out by Mr. Giles.-Lord H. P's Plan defended by Mr. Davie Giddy.-Resolutions on Lord H. P's Plan reported and agreed to.-Plan of Finance by Sir James Pulteney.-Lord P.'s Plan defended, and Lord C.'s attacked by Mr. H. Thornton.-Ways and Means.-Progress of the Commission of Military Inquiry.-Abuses in the Barrack Department.-Fraudu lent Dealings of Mr. Alexander Davison.-Proceedings of the Treasury with regard to Davison. Motion by Mr. Robson for the Appnoitment of a Committee of Inquiry into useless Places, and sinecure Offices.-Slightly amended by Lord H. Petty, and agreed to-Reflections on the Proceedings in Parliament relating to Finance.-On the Nature of Money, and its great and still increasing Influx.-Bad Effects of this.-Observations on the Funding System. And on the Sinking Fund for paying off the National Debt.

THE estimates for the service of the current year having been approved, it became the next and most important duty of the house of commons, to devise in what manner the free revenue of the country might be rendered sufficient for de fraying so enormous expences. Thursday, January 29, in the house of commons, lord Henry Petty moved the order of the day, for the house to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole house, to take into consideration the finances of the country; also, that the several

acts relating to the redemption of the public debt, and also the several acts for granting to his majesty certain duties for a limited time, after the ratification of a definitive treaty of peace, be referred to the com mittee. The house having resolved itself into the said committee, Mr. Hobhouse in the chair;

Lord Henry Petty, after a proœ. mium relating to the arduous nature of the task he had to perform, and requesting the patient and unwearied attention of the house, proceeded to state as the foundation of what

he

he should have afterwards to submit to the house, the supplies, and ways and means for the present year, as far as they could then be estimated. Nearly the whole of the supplies had already been voted by the house. He came now to state the supplies wanted: the total amount of which, for Great Britain and Ireland, as a joint charge, was 43,811,3404, Ils. 8d.

Of this aggregate sum, the portion to be furnished by Great Britain, was 40,527,0657. 11s. Sd; that to be defrayed by Ireland, £.5,314,275.*

After an enumeration of the va. rious articles of ways and means, he stated, that in addition to the several sums for which those provided, there remained to be raised by loan £.12,200,000. The whole of the means were then to be stated thus :

Duty on malt, persions, tobacco, &c.) Surplus of consoli

dated fund,

War taxes,

Lottery,

£2,750,000

3,500,000

Lord H. Petty having thus fully stated the supplies, and ways and means for the year, said, that in ordinary times, he might be justified in confi. ning his views to the exigencies of the moment; that he might here close his statement, dismissing the subject for the present year, and relieving himself from the necessity of trespassing farther on the patience of the house. But in the present crisis of the his tory of the world, it was their duty, if they could, to anticipate the dangers it contained, and to provide against those evils which it threatened. First of all, it became their duty to make such arrangements as should enable us, if the war should be protracted, to maintain the dreadful conflict, with the firmness we had hitherto shewn in its support, and, if possible, with increased energy and exertion. It was of great importance to consider of what appli

cation our resources in future would admit, and, if possible, to combine with a provision for the vigorous 19,800,000 support of the contest in which we 450,000 are engaged, some relief from the prospect of increasing burthens.—

xchequer bills, on a 2,400,000 Trois was the object of the plan of

Loan,

12,200,000

TOTAL, £41,100,000 It should be observed, that the total of the supplies being 40,527,0651. 11s. 8d. while that of the ways and means was £.41,100,000, there would remain an excess of 572,9341. 8s. 4d. an excess which it might be desirable to provide, with an eye to those circumstances in the state of the world, which might occasion an unavoidable fluctuation in that part of our revenue which arose from the trade and commerce of the country.

finance he had to propose. He proceeded to state the plan of necessity, at very great length, in detail, to. gether with the arguments on which it was founded. The spirit or first principle of the plan, appears to have been to render the operation of the sinking fund more equal in its progress; to increase its present powers, and to diffuse over a great number of years those extensive effects, which would, according to the present system, be confined to the latest period of its operation ; and to keep up the price of stocks

* For a detailed account of the supplies, see Appendix to the Chronicle.

by

by the application of a larger sinking fund to the redemption of the present debt, until the period to its final extinction, than would have been made during the same period, by the effect of the present system. Lord Petty, in recapitulating the heads of his system, stated, that we should in the first place, by this plan, be enabled to provide for an extraordinary expenditure of £.32,000,000. Should any farther charge arise, that charge must, under this, as under any other system of finance, be productive of additional burthens.—But (unforeseen charges apart) we should be enabled to provide for £.32,000,000 without any additional burthen on the public for the next three years, and, should the war continue so long, for the seven years subsequent to that period, with the comparatively trifling addition to the taxes of £.293,000 annually. But, should the war be still farther protracted, should it even continue for ten years beyond these two periods, we should have the means of providing for an expenditure of £.32,000 withoutim. posing on the public any additional burthen at all. And this relief would be obtained without the least injury to the interest of the stock-holder. On the contrary, an addition would be made to the sinking fund even in the present year. An amount equal to the present unredeemed debt would be more speedily redeemed. The proportion which the sinking fund bore to the unredeemed debt, and on which the period of the du. ration of that debt depended, would be increased. And, by a more equal distribution of the powers of

the sinking fund, those inconveniences would be avoided, which would necessarily arise from the too great influx of money into the market during the latter years of its opera. tion. It was true, indeed, that a part of the war taxes would be pledged beyond the war, but, he had already shewn that the property tax might, under any circumstances, be released at the end of six months from the ratification of the definitive. And, by the application of the excesses, as they should arise, of the sinking funds of the present wardebts, as they should arise, the re. lease of the other war taxes would be considerably accelerated.

Important, lord H. Petty observed, as the advantages of this plan were, both in respect of the present relief which it afforded, and the prevention of those future evils, which the unlimited operation of the sink. ing fund must ultimately occasion, its principal benefit consisted in the impression which it must make both in this country and out of it: where it would be seen, that without any farther material pressure on the resources of the country, and by a perseverance only in the wonted exertions, parliament now found itself enabled to meet with confidence all the exigencies of the present war, to whatever period its continuance might be necessary for maintaining the honour and independence of the empire. He concluded with laying eleven resolutions relating to his plan, on the table and proposed that the consideration of them should be adjourned till Wednesday se'nnight.*

Mr. Johnstone, though he agreed

'These resolutions will be found in the Appendix to the Chronicle. See also, in the Appendix to the Chronicle, this plan of Finance, as described by the minister, and published in an official Paper.

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